I am legally obligated to say that the first movie I saw in the theater was "Ghostbusters." I may have been a newborn, but I was there, so it counts. I guess you could blame my parents for my movie addiction. That movie is perfect and is one of those films that is untouchable. A pivot was made when the 2016 remake flopped, and it was terrible. Why remake the movie when you can make sequels? That started with "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" in 2021 and continues with "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire."

The new and old Ghostbusters must join forces when an ancient evil is unleashed.

I will start with what works. The new cast is excellent. The focus is on Pheobe (Mckenna Grace), the granddaughter of Egon Spangler (played by Harold Ramis in the original movies). Pheobe is all in on being a Ghostbuster, but when her mom and fellow Ghostbuster remove her from the team, she finds herself looking for a purpose. Grace (an alumnus of "The Haunting of Hill House") shows how important being a Ghostbuster is to her and how heartbroken she gets when she is no longer on the team.

The movie works best when it is focused on the new Ghostbusters. It pains me to say this, but the movie comes to a screeching halt when the original cast is on screen. The attempt to recapture the magic fails, and their mere presence overshadows the potential greatness of the new cast.

Every time I saw the trailer for "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," I said to myself, "Please don't suck," over and over. It managed to clear that very low bar. I had more fun with this movie than I thought I would, but it could have been better. It could have been a step forward and looked to the franchise's future, but it chose to be beholden to the past.

6/10

Rated PG-13 for supernatural action/violence, language and suggestive references.

1hr 55min